Duet
by Hope's Voice
Summary: A short one-shot. What if Carmen and Jeremy did a duet? Speaking isn't required-the music speaks for all.


**DUET**

With the prelude, the violins start and I tuck my violin underneath my chin, waiting for my cue. Tapping my foot to the rhythm of the beat—the beginning being slow and alluring, getting ready for the dramatic second movement.

Without even thinking, I look up and catch his eyes. He gives me a smile and I can't help but smiling back. The stage jitters still remain and I desperately want to race back and swallow my Inderal pills. A sea of dark, unknown faces stares back and me and I wonder what they are all thinking. The thought makes a wave of nausea begin in the pit of my stomach.

_No, Carmen, _I scold myself. If Jeremy can do it, I can too. And this time, I'm not alone.

The conductor points his baton at us and we begin—two violins together, like the harmony and the melody. Jeremy flashes me another smile from the top of his violin and I wonder if he's going to flip his violin in the air again like the first time I had seen his performance.

That had been so long ago. I can still remember sitting in the audience, thinking about the Guarneri. Now that was over and there are no barriers between us or music.

I take a deep breath and I play the violin—a long, sultry down-bow at first as the first short movement comes to an end and we're drawn into a hurricane of notes of the second movement. It flies around us—the music. With every stroke of the bow, my heart slows a bit. All eyes in the audience are riveted in on us and all ears are listening. Any mistake can happen anytime now.

I push the negativity out of my head and just think about the music—the possibility for a thousand mistakes and how I'm not making a single one now. I think about my mother—the woman whom I ignored for months before bonding with again. Mistakes are part of life and everyone makes them—it's just the final outcome that's worth listening to.

Jeremy and I—the soloists, play a duet. It's like call and response—with me playing a few notes before Jeremy responds. It feels natural—the music knows us as well as we know it. Before we know it, the call and response ends and we're into the third movement—fiery and passionate. We play at the same time, with me ending a little after he finishes before we start again like an argument. Never ending, never going anywhere, but so passive and strong that it can rip any relationship apart.

Like with my mother. Thinking back to the Guarneri, I feel an old anger begin to stir. While things are all right between us, I still dislike thinking about her paying the judges.

The ending draws to a close faster than I expected. A blur of notes and my fingers are flying faster than I can think and I remember what Jeremy had said about the ending: _like flying. _The greatest feeling while performing and I wonder: _how in the world had I been able to play with Inderal? How was I able to play—knowing I was missing out on so much?_

I still don't know the answer to that.

Finally, the other instruments fall silent and it's back to us again. Jeremy plays his part on the G-string and I on the E. Like a quarrelling couple finally coming to an agreement. We pause and then play the last note together—the harmony and the melody, together at last.

When we finish, I realize that my hands have not been shaking and a grin breaks across my face. Applause rips across the audience and I look at Jeremy again.

His violin is at his side now and he's looking at me with such intensity, I begin to feel embarrassed. We're on _stage_. In public.

"Jeremy, what are you—"

Before I can finish, he leans forward and kisses me straight on the lips—a mere peck, really but there's a startled gasp in the crowd and maybe a few "_awh"s._

"What was that for?" I ask him, my cheeks definitely red now.

He shrugs and then says, "You made the right choice."

* * *

**Hey! :) I'm a violin player, but I haven't performed so I'm not sure if this is correct. Also, disclaimer? This is a fanfiction site. Duh. I don't own the characters.**

**After reading Virtuosity, I wanted to look for fanfics on Carmen's life after Julliard (if she did choose it) but I realized there wasn't a category. So I requested it and wrote a little one-shot on 'if they ever had a duet'. Basically, this is if she choose Julliard and they decided to duet. Also, the music for this story is made up. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! :)**


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